Vuitton’s creative director Nicholas Ghesquiére was happy to announce Jaden Smith as an upcoming face for the Spring/Summer 2016 collection, announcing it while let us have a sneak peek at the Bruce Weber shot images on his Instagram account on Saturday. Happy to introduce Jaden Smith @christiaingrey in the new SS16 @louisvuitton ad Campaign photographed by Bruce Weber, he said, and all of instagram swooned at once. Jaden Smith wears whatever the heck he wants, he went to prom with Amandla Stenberg wearing a skirt. He wore a white Batman suit to Kim Kardashian & Kanye West's wedding, because those old fashioned rules about upstaging the bride don't apply in Hollywood. Jaden Smith famously buys "clothes", and doesn't care if they're from the "girl department", like he said Went to TopShop to buy some Girl Clothes I Mean ‘Clothes'. Move over, you old fashioned kilt and Jean Paul Gaultier's manly skirt, hello 1970s, welcome back grunge and you rocking men in dresses, "genderless" clothing may finally have arrived. Or not, as we fashion-addicted humans have done this quite a lot over the last few hundred years, but either way, Jaden Smith is celebrity hot and styling, so Nicholas Ghesquiére did the right thing in picking him, assuring more press for the spring summer collection. Clever fella, that Nicholas Ghesquiére, and he uses his Instagram so well.

Not everyone is happy about this new fashion darling, the Independent's voices has published this from Katie Glover, founder of a bi-monthly transgender lifestyle publication and transgender social activist working the trans beat at the Independent, : "Jaden Smith as a new face of womenswear might seem progressive - but he's on transgender territory".
You see, by wearing feminine clothing, Jayden is helping this to become the norm for men too. And that, Katie Glover argues, is a slippery slope:

The danger for trans women is that if wearing what are traditionally women’s clothes becomes the norm for men too, then trans women will no longer be able to rely on these props to help them display a female gender identity - and for many, that could be a serious problem.
But trans people should be aware that well-known faces like Jaden Smith are starting to encroach on our territory. They’re starting to wear the trans uniform without actually stating that they are transgender, and they’re claiming it for themselves under the guise of gender-neutral fashion. All of which begs the question: where does that leave us?

With a less binary definition of gender, that's where it leaves us all. Wasn't that supposed to be a good thing? Girls can work on cars and boys can dance ballet without being shunned as "gay", or saddled into "you must be the other gender" trap. Let people be who they are. Jayden is a fashion star. And Nicholas Ghesquiére really has the finger on the pulse on who to pick for his upcoming campaigns.

Add new comment

(If you're a human, don't change the following field)

Enter your name

Your first name.

Please enable Javascript to use this form.

(If you're a human, don't change the following field)

Enter your name

Your first name.

Please enable Javascript to use this form.

(If you're a human, don't change the following field)

Enter your name

Your first name.

Please enable Javascript to use this form.

Your name *

E-mail *

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.